As the experts on self-contained bicycle travel, we’d like to share our knowledge by way of our Introduction to Road Touring (IRT) course. Two days of classroom instruction provided by our seasoned trip leaders will be followed by a 4-day tour through the countryside. This will give you the opportunity to test ride what you’ve learned in the classroom sessions.

Note that you’ll need to come to this intro course with some cycling skills and experience under your belt. But after graduating, you’ll be ready to hit the road on a loaded tour, whether it’s a solo outing, a trip with friends, or an Adventure Cycling group tour!

Meals - Shared cooking

Your group will share responsibilities for food purchase, preparation, and clean up on a rotating basis. Vegetarian and special dietary needs will be accommodated, though food selection may be limited in some locations.

Accommodations - Camping/Indoor

Most of the overnights will be at private or public campgrounds with a range of amenities. Depending on the nature and location of the trip, these facilities could range from RV parks with hot tubs, to wilderness locations without running water. Indoor facilities such as motels/hotels, hostels, and churches are used occasionally, but on our more remote trips, some primitive camping is possible. Epic tours generally see about one indoor overnight every ten days. Overnight facilities vary, but tents are typically pitched on large, flat, grassy areas. You will need a good freestanding tent with a ground cloth, a sleeping bag rated appropriately for the season and elevation of your tour, and a sleeping pad.

Type - Education

Physical Difficulty - Beginner

Characterized by flatter terrain, and comparatively shorter distance (25-45 miles a day). These tours have minimal hill climbing, and are optimal for newer or easy-going cyclists, or those traveling with friends or family members unaccustomed to cycling. Beginner + rides may have a few extra miles or a little bit of climbing compared to the beginner level. For riders wishing to challenge themselves, extra mileage can generally be tacked onto the day’s route. Exception: Family Fun trips tend to have mileage in the 20-30 mile per day range.

Level Of Support - Education

Educational courses are geared towards teaching you skills and Adventure Cycling’s philosophy on bicycle touring. Introduction to road and dirt touring courses teach you the basics of bicycle touring, while Leadership Training Courses are designed to teach the fundamentals of leading a self-contained bicycle tour.

Cost:

$629.00

Day 1

We’ll begin our class with an orientation. There will be a discussion of the course schedule and general housekeeping rules. Once we are all acquainted and have a general idea of the framework of the course, we’ll prepare dinner and begin learning how to live on the road in comfort and style. After sharing our first meal, we’ll cover the week’s schedule, cooking rotations, group gear, and budgeting, among other topics essential for bicycle touring. Once we know the basics, it will be time to hit the hay.

Day 2

7 a.m. sharp, it's up and at it! Your advisors will cook up breakfast before we delve into discussion about bike-touring equipment and what a savvy bike traveler should pack. Then we'll address how one should best carry all this critical stuff (we'll attempt to settle the classic trailer vs. pannier debate.) After we sort out the gear issues, it will be time for a hearty lunch. Following the lunch break, we will discuss what it's like to live on the road, exploring topics of safety, attitude and etiquette, and general touring rules. Once we have all of this under our belts, we'll put some of this newly acquired knowledge to work on a shakedown ride for our multi-day adventure that begins tomorrow. We'll also stop at the market and buy food for the next day. Learning what food to purchase will be important; there's almost nothing worse than a hungry cyclist! Returning to camp, we'll enjoy an evening meal before settling in for discussions about map reading, trip preparation, as well as preparation for inclement weather and roadside repairs. After a full day, it's time to catch a few winks before we head out on our tour.

Days 3 - 6

As we embark on four days and three nights of field work, we’ll not only have a chance to learn more about the theories and skills specific to bicycle travel, we’ll also apply all that we've learned in a practical way to give you a real bike touring experience. We will travel and live as a typical Adventure Cycling tour group, sharing meals, campsites, and friendship. The route will ease us into the experience, with healthy doses of scenery and adventure. After this four-day loop, you will arrive back at the starting point of this trip ready to set out on your next adventure.

"The leaders were friendly, knowledgeable, and had different viewpoints on the way to do things. This was excellent training because of the different leader views!"

2012 Tour Participant

"I imagine I speak for everyone in our group, the experience was awesome! First, Ray and Heather were both patient with us and showed us what it takes to be good self-contained tour riders. It was never what they said, it was by the example they set. I believe they set the tone for us, how quickly we came together as a team. None of us had ever met before, however by day 2 we were working together, pitching in and helping each other with chores, even though it wasn’t our turn to work. I never heard an unkind or angry word spoken by anyone. The weather wasn’t the best, but perhaps that brought out more inner strength, more sharing, and more caring. I made new friends and I’d be proud to ride on any tour with my fellow participants. A big "thank you" to Adventure Cycling for putting on these camps. By the way the Wisconsin location if terrific; fine beginning accommodations, quiet roads, and a good variety of terrain to practice our riding/touring skills."

Tours Team Picks

Adventure Cycling's Leadership Training Course (LTC) is designed for experienced bicycle travelers who wish to learn our philosophy of leadership and how it applies to self-contained and supported bicycle tours.

This fall, you won’t need to worry about traffic as you ride your hybrid or mountain bike 330 miles on hard-packed, gently graded gravel and dirt trails from the heart of the nation’s capital north into Pennsylvania.

Load up your bike and join us for this relaxed ride through some of the East Coast’s most stunning landscapes and seascapes. Traveling from motel to motel, we’ll trace inland lakes and rivers; pedal past peaks clad in birch, fir, and pine trees; and skirt granite-lined harbors and bays where the essences of saltwater and tidal flats waft along on the breeze.

Adventure Cycling Association inspires and empowers people to travel by bicycle.